All posts tagged ‘aurora shooting’

The terrifying act of violence in Aurora has left us all reeling. The pointless loss of life, the assault on our sense of security is stunning. For comic fans and movie geeks there is an additional layer. That something so heinous is now forever attached to one of our most beloved franchises seems incomprehensible. That the perpetrator has claimed affinity with the villain of said franchise seems a bad punch line, or worse, this generations “Twinkie Defense”.

I’ve yet to see a media outlet point out the absurdity of the perpetrator’s “excuse.” When laying a framework for a defense based on an obsession with an evil comic book villain, maybe, just maybe, you should dye your hair the correct color. The Joker’s hair has always been green, not red. Why is the media taking this coward at his word? Why are they spending time analyzing his motives when 99 out of 100 comic fans can see right through his assertion immediately?

We see his claim for what it is. An excuse, and, he’s probably hopeful, a viable defense. But by failing to recognize the error (I assume they see it as trivial), the media are giving serious consideration to a motive that can only serve to wreak havoc for fandom.

Every time someone commits a crime like this and blames comics, movies, music, or video games, sane and moral fans suffer the consequences.

Kevin Smith has devoted his most recent episode of Spoilers on Hulu.com to the tragedy. It’s a welcome view for grieving geeks that might be longing for a perspective on the event that speaks just to them.

Amongst the savvier points made in the video is that the Batman franchise has been consistently known as anti-gun, with The Dark Knight Rises movie staying impressively on message.

Give it a look. You don’t need a Hulu account to watch it. And please share your comments below.